Categories

Warm temperatures favor tick proliferation

The wooded areas are still very busy even though the summer season is behind us, says zoologist Andrew Hebda of the Nova Scotia Museum.

“More people told us that they saw ticks in October and November than last summer,” adds the zoologist.

Blacklegged ticks, also known as deer ticks, are well established in parts of Nova Scotia, as well as in many areas of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

Hebda advises those who venture into the wooded areas at this time of the year to be very vigilant: “The ticks we collected were fed, so it means that the people who have biting took a long time to notice. ”

Despite these opinions, the Nova Scotia Minister of Health estimates that the risk of acquiring Lyme disease is still low in the province.

Ticks mapped

Researchers at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick created a digital map in 2012 to catalog tick observations across the Maritime Provinces. They now want to share their work with the public.

“We thought it would be interesting for the public to have access to it,” said Dr. David Lieske, a professor at Mount Allison University.

The map is updated each year and is intended as a “real portrait” of the situation.

According to the information provided by the map, the area with the highest number of ticks is Saint John, followed by Moncton.

In May, Canada’s Health Minister Jane Philpott announced $ 4 million to develop a Lyme disease research network to improve diagnosis and treatment.

Health Canada reported that 987 cases of Lyme disease were reported throughout the country in 2016. Five years earlier, there were only 266 cases.

The minister said that climate change is an important factor in the spread of the disease in Canada.

BJ is the lead editor of Meical Daily Times. Fluent in French and proficient in Spanish and Arabic, he focuses on diseases and conditions. BJ is a graduate of York University In Toronto. When BJ isn't busy writing his next piece, he can often be found running the streets of the GTA.